STANDARD DISCALIMERS APPLY. (Naruto belongs to someone else. However, story is original.)

Courtship Rituals

by Sireen Silverspinner and Siobhan Terrace

Note: some basic Japanese included.

"I need to talk to you."

Way to sound like a loser, Sasuke immediately thought. But really, as long as he got his point across, he was good.

Tenten looked very surprised because, well, she was very surprised. Uchiha Sasuke had never even said so much as a hello to her before.

"O-Okay…" Tenten blinked, and then faced him. She gestured to indicate that she was listening. He tried to smile apologetically, but it came out more like a grimace of pain.

"Not here," he muttered. He abruptly turned and walked straight into the woods. It took a half a minute for Tenten to remember that she was supposed to follow him.

"Will this take long?" she called after him. She had been on her way to train with Neji. Hyuugas don't like to be kept waiting.

"…" Actually, Sasuke didn't know. Would it? He certainly hoped not…

Tenten resigned herself to the fact that Sasuke was living up to his reputation of not talking much unless Naruto goaded him on or something.

They reached a clearing, and she waited patiently as he paused to make sure nobody was around.

"Well?" Tenten turned to him, hands on her hips. Still, she admitted grudgingly to herself. He's…cute.

"Willy'go'ou'wime?" he mumbled.

"Sorry?"

He took a deep breath. "Will—you—go—out—with—me—?"

She stared. "You're…. Kidding…"

"Iie…" Now Sasuke looked at her expectantly.

"Um," Tenten swallowed, and then cleared her throat. "Why?"

Sasuke considered this question, but realized explaining himself wasn't an option. "…Why not?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. Though he was good at hiding how he felt, she could sometimes be very perceptive. And at that moment, her mad perception skills detected that he was not asking her out because he thought she was cute.

Rather insulting, really.

She eyed him, giving him a glare that forced him to stare sullenly back at her. This went on, until she sighed and gave him a more unreadable look.

"If you're not going to tell me, I'll guess," she threatened. And she added, for good measure "And you'll have to answer yes or no."

"…" He gave a non-comitial shrug.

"Correct me if I'm wrong. At this point of your life, your main agenda is to restore the Uchiha clan," Tenten said clearly so she would not repeat herself but quickly so it was painless. "And obviously, you can't go around asking the girls of Konoha to give you an heir. Though they probably would," she added kindly, and he grunted. "Don't worry, the rest of the girls out there are gonna be too star-struck by the fact that the Uchiha Sasuke is talking to them that they won't catch on to your clan restoration plot." She winked at him, and he scowled. "And really, you've never said so many words to me in one conversation. In fact, I don't think we've had a conversation before…"

"You're saying no?"

"I didn't say that."

"Well, how else will I talk to you if not on a—date?" he asked, tripping over the last word rather ungracefully.

"My only question is, why are you here asking me when you could ask Haruno-san?"

If her catching on quick and her wink didn't get to him, this certainly did. There was a deathly silence for a few moments, then he spoke flatly.

"Every other girl is a nuisance. You're the only one who never really bothered me."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "I thought you were cute, does that count?" I still do, she laughs to herself.

"Thinking someone looks—" he coughed. "—cute is different from proclaiming empty blind devotion at the top of your lungs."

"If you're talking about Lee—"

"—So if I think you're pretty, it's different from the way Lee would hound Sakura."

She stared at him, slightly disbelieving this time. Sasuke seemed to think he had said too much, and gave her an impatient kind of look.

Tenten decided to tease him.

"You think I'm pretty?" she asked sweetly. His eyes narrowed and he turned around, on his way out. She laughed and jogged after him. "Alright, alright. Dinner tomorrow night."

He stopped, surprised. He eyed her suspiciously.

"Don't look at me like that, you asked me, remember?" She pretended to be offended.

Sasuke decided not to take his chances.

"…I'll pick you up," he said finally. She gave him a quick smile.

"No promises, okay?"

She laughed as he scowled.

Notes:

As Tenten herself said, no promises guys. It's pretty experimental, so don't be too hard on us, okay?